Buffalo, N.Y. (WGR 550) - The NHL Draft has been a big focus for many Buffalo Sabres fans over the years, as the team's playoff drought continues to extend now into its 11th-straight season.
This year's draft is particularly interesting for the team, as they find themselves with three draft picks in the first round, two of which being in the top-16 of the draft order.
Following the conclusion of the 2022 NHL Draft Lottery back on May 10, the Sabres were awarded the ninth-overall pick in the NHL Draft following a strong finish to the team's 2021-22 regular season.
In addition, Buffalo acquired pick No. 16 from the Vegas Golden Knights as part of the Jack Eichel trade, while the 28th overall selection comes from the Florida Panthers as part of the Sam Reinhart deal.
With the draft just two weeks away, conversations on who the team could pick have started to heat up. Over that span, we'll look over a list of 10 different prospects that the Sabres should be interested in taking with their three draft picks.
The first of these players is Boston College commit Cutter Gauthier, who is ranked third among North American skaters by NHL Central Scouting. He is projected to be picked anywhere between the seventh-overall selection and 16th overall.
Profile
Gauthier could join the likes of Dylan Cozens and Tage Thompson as, yet, another power forward on this Sabres roster.
Although born in Sweden, the American forward has spent the past two seasons playing at the junior level with the U.S. National Team Development Program (USNTDP). In 76 combined games during the 2021-22 season, Gauthier scored 53 goals and racked up 40 assists for a total of 93 points.
In six games played at the 2022 IIHF U18 World Championship in Germany, Guthier tallied nine points (3+6) for team USA, as the Americans finished the tournament with a silver medal.
The USNTDP mainly plays in the United States Hockey League (USHL), which is considered the best junior league in the U.S. for players who don’t take the collegiate route. This means Gauthier has been dominant against players primarily his own age, but is still unproven against older, more experienced players.
This happens to be the case for most North American prospects.
Positives
Although Gauthier is capable of putting the puck in the net, he's been described as a 200-foot player, who can dominate with size and speed. Already at 6-foot-3 and 201 pounds, he has demonstrated that he can take possession of the puck anywhere on the ice and control play himself.
Aside from his size, his skating also aids in his control of play. With him being as tall as he is, he has a long and strong stride that can help him gain full speed in only a few strides to jump into a rush, or help the defense on the other side of the puck.
Gauthier is also someone that will never quit when it comes to forechecking. Using his size and strength to dispossess players as they exit their own zone, and then controlling that puck under pressure can create good scoring chances for his teammates, as well as give them a chance to make a line change if needed.
Negatives
Like all prospects, Gauthier is not perfect and will need to make improvements in his journey to the NHL.
One of the first is his shot selection.
Wayne Gretzky once said, “You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take.” While that statement is correct in most cases, Gauthier needs to be smarter when it comes to where exactly he’s shooting the puck from.
A shot that doesn’t reach the net from time-to-time is going to happen, and isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but there can be times when bad shots create chances for the other team.
Gauthier needs to be more mindful of when to shoot and when to re-position so that he can create the most effective chance for his team.
NHL comparison
Gauthier has all of the traits of a high-scoring power forward, which could put him among the likes of a player like Rick Nash. At 6-foot-4 and 211 pounds, Nash was a wrecking ball on the ice, making a living off of using his size to score goals. Over the course of his 1,060-game career in the NHL, Nash scored 437 goals and put up 805 points.
Where does he fit in on the Sabres?
The Sabres found two emerging forces this year in Cozens and Thompson, both of whom seem to be power forwards, with Thompson being more scoring-focused of the two.
If the Sabres could add another presence in the category they could evenly distribute power forwards throughout the lineup.
With the presence of Jack Quinn and JJ Peterka, among other prospects, Gauthier has time to develop and progress with Boston College in the NCAA. Fans could see him start making an impact at the NHL level after a couple years playing at the collegiate level.
With Gauthier being capable of playing either on the wing or at center, it would give the Sabres much more to work with, as they try to develop their young lineup.
